CORNEAL TRANSPLANT GIVES NEWBORN THE GIFT OF SIGHT

Corneal Transplant Gives Newborn The Gift Of Sight
by Chris Arnold

POSTED: 10:54 pm CDT July 3, 2011UPDATED: 3:06 pm CDT July 5, 2011
 
SHREVEPORT, La -- Usually the birth of a new child is a time to celebrate, but that wasn't the case for one area family.Ashton and Joanna Poole welcomed their daughter, Georgia Kate into their family on June 16th.When she was born though, Joanna noticed something different about her daughter."As soon as she was born they handed her to me I noticed her eyes, they were a cloudy white blue," said Joanna Poole.The Neonatologist and Pediatrician examined Georgia Kate and couldn't find anything wrong. It wasn't until the Pediatric Ophthalmologist examined her that they found the root of the problem.Georgia Kate was diagnosed with a rare condition called Peter's Anomaly. The condition causes the corneas and lenses to adhere to each other. The condition is only found in 0.04% of people in the world.The condition has left Georgia Kate practically blind since birth.It prompted the Poole's to seek help from the doctors at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas. The doctors at the facility performed a corneal transplant on Georgia Kate's right eye last Tuesday, which instantly restored her vision to that eye.With a surgery to the left eye and possible more to follow after that and travel expenses, the bills are adding up."It's definitely not going to be cheap by any means, Texas Children's is not in network for our insurance," said Joanna Poole.That's when the community decided to step in.Members of the Bossier City Fire Department will be putting on a Fourth of July to benefit Georgia Kate and her family.The "Fight for Sight" Barbecue will be held at Bass Pro Shop at the Louisiana Boardwalk tomorrow beginning at 11 a.m.All proceeds will go towards off setting some of the Poole's medical costs.

To see a video interview with the parents go to: 
http://www.ktbs.com/news/28437587/detail.html